DAS relevant & line info.

Hi, i am planning to go to WDW soon and one of things i have recently come across with my reading is the DAS. I have read up about it including on this forum but I’m not sure if i will be allowed one.

I do have several non visible health issues but the relevant one is that i suffer from severe panic attacks when i am in what i call a “crush situation”. What i mean by that is when i am surrounded by a large crowd tightly oressed and also surrounded by barriers, whther they are walls, fences, whatever.

I am totally fine with crowds otherwise and i have no issue with enclosed spaces that don’t involve other people pressing against you.

What i would ideally like is a DAS which would allow me to avoid queuing areas where large crowds are penned in on all sides. Would i be eligible for a DAS as it’s a vague and minor issue. And will the Guest Relations team have info about what type of queuing area is used for each attraction?

While none of us can make that call, I think you'd probably be eligible for a DAS. The issue is the DAS does not allow you to bypass a lot of the areas that are known for the "crowding" as they are after the FP and standard queue merge point. The DAS is only to receive a return time, so you can wait outside the main queue. You will still wait in the FP queue (15-20 minutes) and it does not provide a separate space for the ones that group you like Little Mermaid, Mickey's Philharmagic, Muppets, or Laugh Floor, or really any of the "show" type attractions. Your best approach is to either hang to the back of the grouping area or ask the CM if there is a place to hang behind. Some of the attractions themselves crowd you in like the Haunted Mansion stretch room, but again, ask the CM if you can bypass it.

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I can't speak to whether that is DAS-eligible as I never tried for one, but I have similar issues, or as I call it "people claustrophobia." With the lines, it will help if you have at least one other person with you. Have that person stand a couple feet behind you in line to create a buffer so people don't get right on top of you. Then you can stand a couple feet back from the person in front of you as well. In standby or FP line, you're inevitably going to encounter people who want to stand practically on top of you, and oftentimes CMs will encourage people to group closer together. This happens a lot in the waiting area for all the shows as well. The best thing I found to deal with the show waiting areas is to hang back to the side away from everyone and if a CM tells me to move, politely ask if I can hang back and explain why. They've never had a problem once I explain.

It's possible DAS could help, but you'd still have to stand in the FP line once your wait time is up. The line crowding isn't any easier in the FP line, and you will still encounter people who stand too close for comfort. Many FP lines will still be in buildings with walls/fences, etc fairly close. You can't totally avoid that. The wait in the FP line is just shorter, and oftentimes less themed. Many lines do snake around next to each other so sometimes you will have people on either side of you, just separated by the metal queue fencing. For a couple rides, this will be outside, others it's all inside a building, and some have a combination of both. For the indoor lines especially, there's often some sort of cool theming to look at, which helped to distract me some from the people and give me something else to focus on.

Also, if you have trouble with people being super close in outdoor areas too, I would strongly suggest hanging back at park close. The masses of people exiting the park at once can be incredibly overwhelming, especially if you don't like people touching you.

As other have said you might get a DAS you will need to go to GR and explain your needs as it has to do with waiting in line. With that said you will still have to wait in line and often the part that you wait in can be very crowded. ( like TOT and RNR have pre show where you are in a room with a lot of people ) so I would find some type of strategy for copping with a lot of people being around you for at lest 10 minutes maybe longer

Beware of haunted mansion - even after the line it is a crushing situation! They pack people into the loading area after you leave the stretch room. They start with a fairly wide opening and narrow it to a one person width. I absolutely hate it. People packed in like cattle herding. But once you get through that bottle neck the ride is great. But that line is a nightmare for me

Post 27 on page 2 of the disABILITIES FAQs thread has some information about particular attractions that people with claustrophobia or anxiety have found problematic. You can find that thread near the top of this board.
This is copied from that post:This is a list of attractions that guests with claustrophobia, anxiety or panic type symptoms have reported issues with.

At MK:

Haunted Mansion preshow room is a fairly small room called the Stretching Room. It has "No windows and No doors" (the Ghost Host reminds you of that). After the preshow, guests file into another very dark room for boarding and the space gets gradually narrower and narrower as you get closer to boarding. The doombuggies are a problem for some people because of the darkness, the roof of the ride vehicle and the fact that for part of the ride you are going backwards down a hill. If you want to ride without going thru the Stretching room, talk with the CM at the entrance. It is likely not possible, but won't hurt to ask.

Stitch's Great Escape is not tight, but is dark and some people have problems with the over shoulder harnesses and feeling like they can't escape. Parts of it are in total darkness.

Carousel of Progress has a fairly low ceiling is fairly dark and once the show begins, it is not possible to leave without an emergency stop of the show. I have not heard of anyone having a problem, but the inability to leave may cause a problem for some people.

Mickey's Philharmagic and Laugh Floor have preshow gathering areas where many guests are congregated to wait for the next show. The spaces are large and if someone has a problem being in the crowd, it is possible to hang back away from the crowd. The CMs will tell guests to keep moving forward and fill in all space, but if the CM tells your group to keep moving forward, just explain why you need to stay back.

Space Mountain has a tunnel with flashing lights that your ride car goes thru at the beginning of the ride. The ride itself is in near total darkness, which some people have issues with. The space rocket itself fits fairly tightly.

Tom Sawyer's Island has some narrow passageways to make your way through and a series of caves; these are dark and can be tight both in width and height. The floors are uneven, which can make the area more disorienting for some people.

Pirates of the Caribbean waiting area is themed as a connecting set of caves that twist around into different passageways. It is dim and the ceiling is fairly low. The wait generally is short, so guests pass thru the caves quickly, which minimizes any potential problems. When exiting the attraction, guests go up a steep moving walkway. Guests who are not able to use this use a small elevator to get back to group level.

Astro Orbitor in Tomorrowland is located above ground level. There is a very small elevator to get up and down from the ride.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority is an elevated tram that gives an overview of Tomorrowland. The track goes into some buildings, including a section going thru Space Mountain. This gives a bit of a Space Mountain overview, but is also extremely dark.mwhike you are inside, you can't see light from outside, which can make some people feel trapped. Inside Space Mountain is the only area that is dark.

Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid in New Fantasyland has a series of cave-like passageways to get to the boarding area. Some areas are narrow or have fairly low ceilings. The last part before boarding is quite dark.

Spaceship Earth has a sort of narrow hallway that your ride car goes thru at the start of the ride and another that your ride car will go down backward at the end of the ride. Both of those can cause a problem for some people, especially the backwards part near the end. There is an interactive touchscreen experience while going down, which helps.

Mission Space has a small room for the preshow. The ride is a small capsule to begin with and the control panel advances toward you once the ride car has closed, making it even smaller. Interestingly, I have problems with claustrophobia and didn't have a problem on Mission Space. The waiting area and the ride capsule is pretty much identical whether riding the original version or the more 'tame' green version.

Test Track has a waiting line for both the regular line and the Fastpass line that snakes around quite a bit. The preshow area is a fairly small room with a fairly low ceiling. People are grouped around computer touchscreens where you 'design' your own car. Guests stay in that room until a door opens that leads into the next waiting room. The line in that second room moves fairly slowly and when it is crowded, it may feel more claustrophobic.

Soarin' queue is in a large space, but the line may feel very tight because there are high walls on both sides (both Fastpass and regular line). There is an interactive game occurring in the regular line, which means people may be jumping, waving, swaying next to you while playing the game.

Guests entering the Land with a wheelchair or ECV need to use a small elevator to go from the entrance level down to the level where the food court, Soarin' and Living With the Land are located.

Nemo ride at Living Seas had a darkened line with a lot of twists and turns. It is seldom busy, so guests move through quickly, which minimizes problems. The extreme darkness of the line may be an issue.

Guests with wheelchairs at the Living Seas need to use a small elevator if they want to go to the second floor of the attraction.

Sum of All Thrills at Innoventions is a 'design it ypurself' roller coaster. Guests sit in a self contained ride with a tightly fitting restraint and a screen that comes very close to the guest's face while the ride is in motion. It is possible to watch other guests riding, which may help with deciding whether or not it will be a problem.

American Adventure theater is on the second floor of the building. Guests can get up there using an escalator or a flight of stairs. Guests with wheelchairs or ECVs use a small elevator to get up there. When leaving, all guests go down a fairly steep ramp.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid has a fairly small room for the preshow area and they do pack guests in quite tightly.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has a preshow in a library with a fairly low ceiling and many people will be in the room for the preshow. The ride car is a fairly large elevator, but the ceiling is fairly low and many people with claustrophobia or anxiety issues have problems with elevators in general.

Rock N Roller Coaster is a very dark ride, which may cause problems for some people. It also has an over the shoulder restraint.

Fantasmic waiting line and theater are outside, but some people have difficulty because of the large number of people and the closeness. If you have enough people in your party, they can act as a 'buffer' around you to keep a space around you.

Toy Story Mania is a large space, but at one point of the line, you come to a steep set of stairs which leads to a passageway that goes over the ride track and then another stairway to get back down to board. There are windows in the passageway, but the ceiling is fairly low.

Star Tours ride is in a fairly small theater with no windows, simulating a small space ship. A movie is shown out the front 'window' and your space ship moves in reaction to what is going on in the movie.

Animal Kingdom:

It's Tough to Be a Bug has a low ceiling in the preshow area that simulates being underground. The theater itself is large, but some guests with claustrophobia may have difficulty with the the darkness and the fact thatthings are happening to you - some of them poking you in the back or bottom.

Dinosaur has a tunnel sort of area that the ride cars go thru to be sent back tothe past. Once in, the attraction very dark, some in almost total darkness. There is a set of stairs in the boarding area. Guests who are not able to use the stairs use a small elevator to get to the boarding area.

The best way to avoid crowded preshows is to go during less busy times and to usetouring plans, which will help you to be in the least crowded part of the least crowded park.

Mickeys Philgarmagic used to have a handicap pre show area. I used to wait there when I used the old GAC. Is that gone too now? I will probably use an ecv so hopefully that will be a space saver. I waited in the Little Mermaid pre show once and thought I was going to die_ never again. I even asked a CM last trip to enter through the exit but not possible. Panic disorders really are awful. At the HM I was always able to skip the stretching room but the herding room is awful too. I carry with me a frozen water bottle and a fan. It helps if I feel panicked.

Mickeys Philgarmagic used to have a handicap pre show area. I used to wait there when I used the old GAC. Is that gone too now? I will probably use an ecv so hopefully that will be a space saver.

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Mickey’s Philharmagic still has a roped off area to the right of the larger waiting area. This leads to a set of doors that enters the last row of the theater for guests using mobility devices. If you are using an ECV, you will be directed to that area DAS is not needed to use that area, but in general only guests using mobility devices are allowed to use it because it leads to the accessible seating.
Guests not using mobility devices can just stand to the back of the ‘regular waiting’ area. There is a ramp with a rail, so standing toward the back along the ramped area should help with some separation.

I waited in the Little Mermaid pre show once and thought I was going to die_ never again. I even asked a CM last trip to enter through the exit but not possible. Panic disorders really are awful.

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For Little Mermaid at the Studio, guests enter from the preshow area at the same time as guests are exiting from the other side of the theater. So, if you tried to enter from the exit, you would be in a mass of guests coming toward you to leave.

Guests using mobility devices at Little Mermaid used to be told to stand by a black line. As of Fall 2017, there was a 3 foot wide roped off lane where there used to be just the painted line. That does help with the crowding, but may not be enough for everyone.

At the HM I was always able to skip the stretching room but the herding room is awful too. I carry with me a frozen water bottle and a fan. It helps if I feel panicked.

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One thing that might be helpful...
If you use a wheelchair for Haunted Mansion, the CM will have you stay to the right and enter each room after the other guests. Guests with wheelchairs are asked to stay in th stretching room until all the other guests have gone and into the ‘herding room’. At that point, the wheelchair parties enter a small hallway that leads the to the exit for boarding.
The attraction has loaner wheelchairs which can be requested as guests enter the line.